Sunday, October 9, 2016

Dental Flossing is as important as Brushing, explained by Lake Lanier Smiles, Affordable Buford Dentist

Dental Flossing: FLOSS LIKE A BOSS

In recent days, flossing has been at the center
stage of great debate on whether it has any benefits.

Flossing’s association to oral health has vastly
been known to oral healthcare providers.

Flossing is not optional but is essential. The
dentists at Lake Lanier Smiles believes and know for the fact that flossing
helps.

We at Lake Lanier Smiles wants to set the record
straight and let our patients know that indeed we need to floss. Hope common
sense prevails.

The purpose of a floss: It deals with removing
food particles and plaque from between the teeth. Brushing your teeth can not
reach inter-dental areas. The plaque contains bacteria that are both harmless
and harmful.

You may not be aware of food debris and plaque
present between your teeth, therefore, it is important to daily clean these
areas to prevent an accumulation of acid releasing bacteria from causing damage.

TYPES OF FLOSS

The material floss is made out of plastic beads,
wax, and flavoring agents.

• Regular floss: These are the flosses that are
known to us as the string flosses. They vary in whether they contain wax and
the kind of flavor they contain. The ease of flossing differs with waxed and
unwaxed. The waxed flosses move in and out between teeth smoothly. Flavoring
merely gives the experience of flossing enjoyable and refreshing.• Floss picks: Unlike string flosses, picks allow
you to use one hand and very convenient. The difference lies in the
effectiveness of cleaning. The general motion of flossing requires hugging the
teeth with the floss in an up and down motion. With floss picks, there is some
restriction in allowing such a movement.

• Handle flosser: Similar to the floss pick, this
device has a longer handle with a grip. The floss head is just like the pick.
As with the pick, the effectiveness of flossing is lessened because you are not
able to change the angulation of the floss as you can with regular floss.

• Superfloss: These are special flosses designed
for bridges and orthodontic braces. They work in the same manner as regular
floss but the initial method of use differs. You have to slide the floss
underneath the bridges and braces before flossing.

• Oral irrigators: These are water spray in the
form of a pulsating jet stream. They serve the purpose of removing debris and
plaque between teeth. It comes as an attachment placed in a toothbrush type
handle.When using it make sure it is over the sink since
water will spill out of your mouth. For the most effective results, the head of
the device should be place in a 90-degree angle for 1 -2 minutes

• Interdental brushes: Made strictly for cleaning
between teeth, these brushes have a thin narrow working area. You place the
bristle between teeth and move the brush in an inward and outward direction.

How to use regular floss:

The proper way to floss requires using both hands.Take out about 18 inches of floss. On both ends,
wrap the floss around your middle fingers, leaving about 2 inches to work with.With your index fingers or thumbs, slowly tease
the floss between your teeth.Start to cup the teeth by curving the floss around
the side of a tooth and reach under the gumline. Begin to gradually move out.The motion is similar to drying your back with a
towel.Flossing benefits:-Calculus reductionBy flossing, you will be able to eliminate plaque,
which if left untouched and harden in the form of calculus. This will not be
able to be removed from brushing for flossing. The dental hygienist will use
scaling and hand instruments to debride the area. Calculus build up can cause
gum irritation, swelling, and recession.

-Caries preventionFlossing removes the plaque and prevents any
harmful bacteria from building up. Cavities develop from bacteria found on
uncleaned plaque that feast on sugary substances left uncleaned.Lack of flossing will allow the bacteria to cause
acid demineralization of the hard enamel. The end result would be needing a
filling to remove the decay and place a bio-compatible material such as amalgam
or composite.

-Perio disease preventionIn terms of periodontal disease, the harmful
bacteria can build up in areas ignored from cleaning. The bacteria are able to
penetrate deep within the gums.The first sign of periodontal disease is bleeding.
At this point, it is known as Gingivitis. A reversible process, gingivitis can
be tackled with immediate oral hygiene.Brushing and flossing regularly can reduce the
swelling and bleeding of the gums.When left uncleaned, the plaque begins to
accumulate resulting in inflammation and infection of the gums.A sign of chronic periodontal disease is
enlargement of the pockets surrounding the teeth. The dental hygienist will be
able to detect this at your annual cleaning. At this point, with a deep
cleaning, your gums can return to attaching tightly with the tooth.In cases when annual cleaning visits are
neglected, the pockets deepen and the disease progresses to the bone, as the
bone level reduces. In a clinical view, the root surfaces may be visible due to
gingival recession from its initial attachment point.

Take home exercise for Non FlossersAny of non Flossers whose gums bleed on flossing
should try to floss everyday for ten days and they can see visible
reduction of bleeding. Then you can believe for yourself.

If
you have any questions about your Oral Health or to make an appointment Call us at 770-831-0559 or visit us at WWW. LAKELANIERSMILES.COM for
Valuable Coupons and Specials. Our prices are 30-50 % Off Regular Prices. Call
Us before Noon and we will see you the Same Day. We accept most insurances. We
are conveniently located just off I-985 at 4965 Lanier Islands Parkway, Suite
105, Buford, Ga- 30418. LAKE
LANIER SMILES provides Affordable dental care with outstanding customer service
to patients in Buford, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Cumming, Flowery Branch and
surrounding areas.